1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a portable electronic apparatus such as a digital camera or the like, an image processing method and a photographing apparatus which are used for such an apparatus, and a computer readable recording medium which is used for such method and apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, digital cameras have progressively been spread owing to the advancement of a semiconductor technique and the like. However, since a price of an image memory, particularly, a semiconductor memory which can be used in the digital camera is expensive, the number of images which can be photographed by using the image memory which is equipped as a standard memory in the camera is not so enough as compared with a general photographing frequency that is required for the camera. Therefore, a product such that an exchangeable device, for example, a flash memory card or smart memory of PCMCIA is used as an image memory and this image memory is exchanged in accordance with the necessity of the user, and the number of images which can be photographed is increased also exists.
However, it is fairly difficult to obtain the flash memory card or smart memory as compared with the silver salt film and they cannot be always obtained as necessary. When photographing, therefore, the user has to carry an enough large amount of flash memory card or the like for the presumed number of photographing images. Such a situation cannot be said that the feature that an erasable memory device is used as an image memory is effectively used.
If a magnetic memory such as a hard disk or the like is used as an image memory instead of the semiconductor memory, an enough large number of photographing images can be assured as compared with the general photographing frequency that is required for the camera. However, in case of using the magnetic memory, a necessary electric power consumption is large and an external shape of the camera enlarges as compared with that in case of using the semiconductor memory, so that the magnetic memory is improper as a memory device of the digital camera.
As mentioned above, in the present digital camera, since the number of images which can be photographed is limited depending on the degree of obtaining the exchangeable device or the capacity of the built-in image memory, if the user has to photograph images of the number which exceeds the limited number, at the photographing spot, unnecessary images have to be erased from the images which have already been photographed or the user himself must transfer the image memory to the other personal computer or the like and increase the available image memory. Unless otherwise, the user cannot photograph.
However, the execution of such a work at the photographing spot causes a time loss and becomes a large drawback for the camera which requires instantaneousness. Further, in order to judge the unnecessary images from the photographed images, it is necessary to confirm various information. Therefore, the execution of such a work by the digital camera itself whose processing speed is relatively slower than that of the personal computer becomes a large burden for the photographer.
Particularly, in a small display equipped for the digital camera, it is generally difficult to discriminate whether the photographed images are good or not. To efficiently perform such a work, a new key switch group, a display to confirm the information, and the like which are not used in the ordinary digital camera are necessary. They obstruct the realization of miniaturization of the digital camera.
Moreover, a resistance feeling against the work to erase the photographed images at the photographing spot is strong for the photographer. Although there is not such a burden in case of transferring to the other memory device of a personal computer or the like, the user has to carry an interface or the like between the personal computer and the digital camera, it is troublesome, and a physical burden increases.